The effect of X-ray coherence on crystalline diffraction

The importance of respecting the coherent properties of X-rays in the physical interpretation of the profiles of the X-ray diffraction patterns is pointed out. Drawing the analogy between Young's experiment and two-atom X-ray scattering, the author applies the elementary theory of coherence, developed for light optics, to X-ray diffraction by a linear atomic lattice. As his considerations concerning the effect of coherence on diffraction by such a lattice are impossible to verify experimentallly, he tests their correctness by spectrographical measurements of the width of an optical grating diffraction line under different coherence and experimental conditions. The paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. A. Vaíek, Professor of the J. E. Purkyn University in Brno, who died on November 16, 1966.